Invest in Angus

The 2025 playbook: this year's key business trends
2025-01-22 12:30 - 13:30 UTC
From advancements in AI to shifts in social media, customer behaviour and attracting talent, this session will provide actionable insights to keep you ahead of the curve. Our expert panel, hosted by Hugh Lightbody, will share their predictions, case studies, and strategies for leveraging these trends to drive growth and ensure you can stay competitive in an ever-changing landscape.
This session will cover:

The significant trends shaping the business landscape in 2025
How businesses can adapt to the rapid pace of change in technology and market demands
Effective strategies to help small businesses remain resilient during uncertain times
How consumer preferences and behaviours will evolve this year
The role of digital transformation in helping businesses stay competitive
How businesses can train and bring in new talent

Panellists include:

Hugh Lightbody (Host), Chief Officer, Business Gateway National Unit
Genevieve White, Business Gateway Adviser & Founder of Campion Comms
Sean McGrath, CEO, Entrepreneurial Scotland Foundation
Gary Ennis, Founder, Managing Director & Senior Consultant, NSDesign Ltd

How to create engaging content
2025-01-22 14:00 - 16:00
Producing quality content is an excellent way of helping your customers develop a meaningful relationship with your brand, services and products. In this webinar we will show you how to source and develop a variety of content for your website and social channels.
This session is ideal for businesses that already have a business website or use social media and now want to take it a step further, and develop the skills to show your audience that you are a trusted operator in your field.
We will help you:

Understand what kind of content your customers are looking for
Source, write and deliver that content
Amplify your brand and message and boost engagement online

Ready, Steady, Grow: How to Expand Your Business
2025-01-22 18:00 - 20:00
Ready to accelerate your business growth but unsure where to begin?
Look no further than our Ready Steady Grow workshop focused on accelerating business growth. Led by experienced business advisers, this session is designed to help you identify your growth potential and create a roadmap for success.
Through collaborative discussions with like-minded businesses, you’ll gain new insights, tools and knowledge to help support your growth plans. You’ll also walk away with a network of fellow business owners to connect with for ongoing support.
Don’t miss this opportunity to take your business to new heights!

AgriFood Innovations - Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems
2025-01-23 09:00 - 12:00
At this online webinar series, you will hear about ways in which the carbon footprint of food production can be reduced, by different thematic areas.
These webinars will feature keynote speakers providing expertise in their given field and insights from Innovate UK funded projects. There will be an opportunity to network, and pose questions to the innovators.
From energy to co-product and waste valorisation to the blue economy, join us for insightful discussions and explore innovations in sustainable agriculture and food systems that will drive us towards a nature positive future.

Unleash the Power of ChatGPT/AI for global business growth
2025-01-23 09:30 - 13:00
AI has been hitting the headlines recently, with the launch of ChatGPT already making waves in various industries.
ChatGPT and other similar AI applications use natural language processing to create humanlike conversational dialogue. The language model can respond to questions and compose various written content, including articles, social media posts, essays, code and emails.
This webinar is updated weekly and covers a huge range of AI topics, including getting the most out of popular models (ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini) for the creation of written and visual content.
This webinar will help you understand more about generative AI models and how you can use them to boost efficiency and productivity in your business.

Social media essentials: Facebook
2025-01-23 10:00 - 12:00
Get to grips with Facebook – the world’s most popular social networking platform.
In this webinar you will:

Learn how to get the most out of Facebook and how it could fit into your business’s digital marketing strategy
Better understand the algorithm behind Facebook, and how to create great content that achieves a bigger reach and impact
Learn from the stats and data you can get from the system and discover who your most interested customers/clients are
Understand the power of Facebook advertising, and other selling options available to you
Discover other business opportunities presented by Facebook, including how to promote and sell products and services
Be introduced to ‘Business Suite’ – a free Facebook dashboard to manage all your business activity

EOI - Scaling Internationally with Amazon & Other Global Marketplaces
2025-01-23 10:00 - 16:00
If you’re an established company looking to scale internationally, this flexible accelerator programme is for you.
With a primary focus on maximising success on Amazon, you’ll also explore other key online marketplaces including eBay and Etsy, as well as specialised wholesale online marketplaces like Alibaba, Wayfair, Faire and more.
The programme will provide you with actionable strategies to expand your reach, optimise marketplace performance, and grow sales globally.
You’ll also benefit from a bespoke action plan and personalised 1-2-1 support to create your custom international growth strategy.
Programme Format:
This online programme will start on Wednesday 22 Jan 2025 with an in-person event.
The learning modules will then be released online, and followed with bi-weekly Teams catch ups.
The programme will end on Wednesday 23 Apr 2025 with a final in-person event.

How to improve your Google search rankings - Part 2: Off page optimisation & technical considerations
2025-01-23 14:00 - 16:00
Join us as we take a further, more detailed look at how the Google search engines indexes and ranks websites based on a number of external (off-page) and technical factors. Implementing this learning will increase your chances of customers discovering your business through Google – the world’s leading research tool.
We will cover:

How to block or control what websites are allowed to ‘index’
The importance of a fast loading mobile website
How security and usability influence Google
What “off-page” optimisation means, and tactics to generate back-links
The importance of Local SEO, and why a “Google Business Profile” is vital

Kickstart your Marketing
2025-01-23 16:00 - 18:00
The workshop will cover the basic principles of marketing, including target audience identification, competitor analysis, value proposition, and the development of marketing strategies.
The workshop will also explore the importance of measuring the success of marketing strategies and how adhering to good business practice can positively influence Customer Generated Content.
Overall, this workshop is ideal for businesses – new and existing – who want to gain a solid understanding of the basics. By the end of the workshop, you should have the knowledge and skills necessary to develop and execute an effective marketing strategy for your business.

Understanding Co-ops for Creative Industry Businesses
2025-01-24 09:30 - 12:30 | Civic House, 26 Civic Street, Glasgow, G4 9RH
Are you thinking of starting a new creative business? Or looking for a different approach to your existing business or community venture? Have you considered a co-op?
If you’re looking for an inclusive, democratic approach to your business, then a co-op could be the perfect fit.
Our free event, Understanding Co-ops, is brought to you by Co-operative Development Scotland, one of Scottish Enterprise’s services, and explores how your business can thrive as a co-operative.
Why co-ops?
All kinds of businesses operate as co-ops. These include pubs, energy suppliers, taxi firms, bookstores, community gardens, wine sellers, farms, sports clubs, and much more.
Co-ops are run by their members. They can be customers, employees, residents, or suppliers. They have a say in how the co-op is run – this makes it a fairer, more collaborative, and democratic way of doing business.
Co-ops are also resilient as a business model. They are more than twice as likely to survive the early years of trading when compared to other start-up businesses.
What to expect
The workshop will be led by a co-op specialist from Co-operate Scotland LLP and will feature guests from local creative industry co-ops:

Hen Hoose
Glasgow Theatre Arts Collective

Our guests will share their experiences of starting and running a co-op.
This informative and interactive workshop will give you a more in-depth understanding of co-operatives, as well as the initial steps required to start one. You’ll discover:

The different kinds of co-ops and learn which type might suit you best
What membership means
The strengths of co-ops versus traditional business models
Co-op values and principles
Co-op facts and figures
The different legal forms a co-op can take
Support for co-ops from Co-operative Development Scotland

How to start a business: The basics
2025-01-25 10:00 - 12:00
Whatever your reasons may be for considering being your own boss, we are here to support you and help you decide if this is the right path for you.
We will cover:

Personal finance
Planning – how much do you need to earn?
Researching your market – who your customers are, understanding your competition and what the trends are within your chosen field
Business structure – what are the core business structures? How to decide which is right for you and how to register as a business
Creating your start-up action plan – an outline
Marketing
Pricing
Naming the business
Basic bookkeeping
Forecasting
Financing, banking, insurance, and VAT
Tax

Business Support – Drop In Sessions (Kirriemuir Library)
2025-01-27 13:00 - 16:00 | Kirriemuir Library, 28 Reform Street, Kirriemuir, DD8 4BS
The Business Gateway team will be at Kirriemuir Library to offer expert advice and support for all your business questions.
Drop in and speak to us, or use the book now button and a member of the team will be in touch to book an appointment.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to grow business, our advisers are here for you every step of the way.

Social media essentials: TikTok and Instagram Reels
2025-01-27 14:00 - 16:00
TikTok and Instagram Reels aren’t just for dance trends and lip-synching videos, they can also be a fantastic opportunity to engage with your customers and increase the reach of your business online. Learn how to create bitesize video content for more effective business communication on two of the most popular social platforms.
We will cover:

How to optimise your TikTok and Instagram accounts for the best results with video
How to discover the latest trends on each platform and leverage this to create popular videos for your business
Ideas for creating content to entertain, inspire or educate your audience (with lots of examples from a variety of relevant TikTok and Reels accounts)
How to increase engagement and reach by paying attention to your videos’ structure, duration, titles and understanding hashtags and algorithms
The best kit, apps and workflow to create bitesize vertical videos for both platforms

A Guide to Completing your Self-Assessment Tax Return with EQ Chartered Accountants
2025-01-27 18:00 - 20:00
If you are newly self-employed and are required to submit a self-assessment return for the first time or want to better understand the basics of completing your Self-Assessment Tax Return then this workshop is for you.
The session will cover the key dates, the basics about allowable expenses and record keeping, as well as how income tax and National Insurance Contributions are calculated.

Business Finance Viability
2025-01-28 16:00 - 18:00
Led by experienced advisers, this webinar takes the fear out of finances, providing practical tools and guidance to help you confidently manage your business’s budgeting and forecasting. You’ll learn how to identify the hidden costs of running your business, including the cost of hiring staff, maintaining stock levels, and other crucial expenses.
Through a series of engaging exercises, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of your business’s financial viability, helping you make informed decisions about its future growth and success. Whether you’re a new entrepreneur or have been in business for a couple of years, this webinar is tailored to your needs, providing you with the knowledge and skills to take your business to the next level.
Don’t let financial worries hold you back from realizing your business’s full potential. Sign up for the Business Finance Viability webinar today and discover how to confidently manage your business’s financial health!

Finding, keeping and looking after your staff
2025-01-29 13:00 - 15:00
One of the most daunting challenges a business can face is the process of hiring employees, interviewing, payroll, pensions, contracts, remote working and more, it is a minefield for the business owner.
This webinar will allow you to have the key information in your possession to take on staff and look after your team.
We’ll cover:

Finding, keeping and looking after your staff
Attracting and recruiting the best people for your business
Your obligations as employers
How to retain staff members
Moving on
Dismissal
Restructure/Redundancy

We will also look at:

How in the current climate you can manage staff and teams in a remote environment, considering their productivity, efficiency, and the issues of home working
How you can best manage staff to ensure productivity is kept and mental health is supported
The impact of companies who may be considering restructuring and therefore redundancy for the first time and how that can be managed

Mastering Prompt Engineering with ChatGPT
2025-01-30 09:30 - 11:30
This comprehensive masterclass will immerse you in the world of AI and prompt engineering.
Prompt engineering is the term used for the way you craft your questions or tasks, ‘prompts’, for AI models to get the best results.
The session will help you master interactions with ChatGPT, OpenAI’s advanced generative AI model. It offers a deep dive into the nuances of AI communication, focusing on the intricacies of crafting effective prompts that lead to meaningful and insightful AI-generated content.
After this webinar, you’ll be able to use AI models to work smarter. Crafting prompts that help you improve productivity, streamline tasks, spark fresh ideas and save you time and money.

Social media essentials: Instagram
2025-01-30 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-02-06 10:00 - 12:00
Thinking about using Instagram to communicate with existing and potential customers? Want to showcase your products or services using it? During this webinar we will cover:

Getting the setup right and benefitting from the available business tools
Best practice profiles, and some strategies to help your business stand out from the crowd
The types of audience you can reach via this platform and the factors and analytics such as cost and timing of posting images and how that can maximise impact
The various types of content you can post to Instagram, from regular posts to Stories and Reels

Marketing for your business
2025-01-30 13:00 - 16:00
Without proper marketing your business cannot have a lasting impact. This bootcamp will help you to identify, profile and gain a deeper understanding of your target audiences, how to conduct market research and build a marketing plan. It will also explain brand development and positioning – choosing your price points.
Agenda:
Marketing and market research

What is Marketing?
How to understand your audience using market research

Understanding Your Customers and Competition

Understanding your competitors
Identifying your customers and categorising them
Understanding your customers’ needs and motivations

Marketing Planning, Pricing and Branding

Pricing Considerations
Developing your brand
Developing your message
Deciding on the best marketing methods for your business
Budgeting and evaluating

How to plan and schedule your online content
2025-01-30 14:00 - 16:00
Businesses who plan their content in advance, aligning their channels with actual business objectives, customer themes and national events, and then schedule it to ensure it reaches the target market at the right time, on the right platform – hugely increase the chances of achieving impact.
In this webinar, you will learn how to:

Plan content based on your business and your customer needs
Evaluate current social media dashboards and management tools
Create a social media content calendar and schedule updates automatically
Reach more people through automating your blog and email newsletter content
Implement simple automation techniques to increase efficiency

Having great content is just the start. This webinar will help you better organise and setup your content strategy through simple planning and effective scheduling, to achieve great business results.

How to build your brand
2025-01-31 10:00 - 12:00
This webinar will define what a brand is (and is not) and explain how it is more than just creating a logo. We will explore how a business can use their brand to show its identity, purpose, personality, message, and values in order to stand out from competitors, build a loyal customer base and make more sales.
This session will:

Provide you with a clear understanding of the difference between brands and branding
Help you understand what a brand is
Show you why branding is important
Look at your brand strategy, brand identity and action
Help you learn how to develop your brand’s positioning, character, and purpose to differentiate your business from its competitors
Demonstrate how to set up a brand kit and style guide to ensure consistency across websites, social media, business cards, posters etc.
Teach you how to create simple promotional graphics using a variety of tools including Canva
Highlight a variety of free tools including Google Drive, Hubspot and Mailchimp that can save time and simplify marketing tasks

Creating an effective email marketing strategy
2025-01-31 13:00 - 15:00
Customers buy from businesses that they know, like and trust. Email marketing is powerful and affordable tool in your digital marketing toolkit to build these relationships.Most businesses send monthly newsletters to stay in touch with their audience, but your results will improve with a structured plan and the best practices that will be explored in this webinar. Whether you’re new to email marketing or you’re looking to optimise your email strategy, this webinar enable you to:

Adopt email marketing into your wider marketing strategy and gain insight into your target audience
Understand the key stages of an effective marketing strategy
Segment your audiences and to target and position your offering to them effectively
Create a value-driven and customer-focussed content for email marketing whilst measuring and testing it’s effectiveness
Identify the most suitable platforms and tools for email marketing campaigns, including different paid-for account levels
Optimise the different components of a successful email campaign
Use reporting and key metrics to make sure your campaigns are successful
Be compliant with legal requirements relating to email communications and use best practices for escaping the spam folder

Google Analytics – Understand how your website performs
2025-02-03 14:00 - 16:00
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that helps you understand how your website is performing. It helps answer lots of questions, including:

Which marketing channels drive traffic to your site?
What pages are users looking at the most?
What impact does mobile have on your potential customers?

During this webinar, we’ll help you understand how Google Analytics is set up and give you an overview of key reports. We’ll also look at other web analytics tools to help you online.

Introduction to Canva
2025-02-04 10:00 - 12:00
Canva is an all-in-one online design tool that makes it simple to create graphics, edit photos/videos and write content.
In this webinar, you’ll learn how to navigate Canva with confidence, starting with a broad overview of what you can create and do with Canva including a live demonstration of the Canva Editor.
We’ll then explore how to:

Design professional printed marketing materials and edit photos with ease.
Create engaging social media content, including videos and images for posts and ads.
Write creative blog content and make stunning presentations.

We’ll finish this beginner’s guide to Canva by looking at some clever strategies for improving how you market your business with your new suite of creative marketing materials.
As a result of attending this webinar, you will gain practical knowledge of the basics of Canva and learn how to save time when marketing your business online. We’ll be focusing on the free features of Canva for this webinar but some paid ‘Canva Pro’ features will be demonstrated also.

Photography for digital marketing
2025-02-05 14:00 - 16:00
During this webinar you will:

Discover the basic ‘dos and don’ts’ of taking your own pictures, editing them and uploading them onto digital platforms
See some real-life examples of posts that demonstrate good, bad and indifferent use for businesses

A Beginners Guide to Facebook Marketing
2025-02-05 14:00 - 17:00 | The Craws Nest, 67 Ravensby Park Gardens, Carnoustie, DD7 7NY
Attendees are encouraged to bring their laptops for this hands-on session, where they will gain a deeper understanding of how social media can benefit their business.
What we’ll cover:

Setting Up Accounts Correctly:

Choosing icon images for logos and banners that showcase your services/products
Configuring ‘Settings’ (e.g., social media links, service areas, business hours)
Navigating the ‘Professional Dashboard’ (Page Access, Inbox, Audience Insights, Content Insights)

Business vs. Personal Pages:

Understanding the differences between Business and Personal pages
Friends vs. Followers: What you need to know

Introduction to Meta Suite:

A basic overview of Meta Suite and its features

Crafting Effective Social Media Posts:

Storytelling techniques and using hashtags to expand your reach

Scheduling Posts with Meta Suite Planner:

Attendees will use their own visuals to create, edit, hashtag, and schedule three posts
Editing posts specifically for Instagram: Why it matters

Developing a Social Media Strategy:

The importance of having a strategy and how to create one

Best practices for social media imagery
By the end of this workshop, you’ll be equipped with practical skills to effectively use social media for marketing your business.

An introduction to business websites
2025-02-06 14:00 - 16:00
This webinar will take you through all the steps required to design, build and host a business website. You will learn about:

The need to determine website objectives
The importance of knowing who your audience is and measuring results
Setting clear calls to action and creating engaging content
Creating your brand’s visual identity online, your site’s blueprint and how you can structure your site map
What’s involved in registering your domain, maintaining your site content, and options for hosting it

This webinar will also offer guidance on when and how to outsource your website development,covering topics such as choosing a suitable content management system, what to organise first and costing for the work.

The Basics of Starting a Business
2025-02-06 18:00 - 20:00
This webinar will give you the information needed to build a start up action plan. The plan will enable you to consider which actions are relevant to your plan, start building a set of SMART Goals, give thought to business skills development and provide a clear path for steps to launch your business.
You will also learn about the key considerations when starting a business and what steps you will need to take from legal, financial and strategic standpoints.
By the end of the webinar, you will have the information required to start building an action plan and be confident about understanding the next steps.

How to improve your Google search rankings - Part 1: On page optimisation
2025-02-07 10:00 - 12:00
Join us to look at how Google and other search engines decide the order in which they list their search results. We will show you how to maximise your chances of appearing towards the top of the search rankings, ensuring you understand what key words and phrases your potential customers are using when searching online, and how to optimise your website as a result.
We will cover:

How search engines work, and the ‘on-page’ factors used to rank your site
Understanding customer search behaviour
Keyword research tools and how to benefit from them
Optimising your website content for search engines
